In Which Caster Negotiates with All His Tact and Charm

Trouble has found Silent Destiny’s crew once more, on Kes-Varn’s homeworld of Iridonia.

In Capital Square, Kes and Bella Nox escaped from Dagos Tull’s brutal thugs. Hoping to return Balin Nerr’s cargo to its original buyer, they have commandeered a delivery speeder truck, piloted by a young Iridonian girl named Kala-Zen.

Their plan is thwarted when they learn that Caster, Kay, Zeva, and R4-J16 have found the long-lost Vainglory in Wortan. But they have also found Niknik Kuat — and Marius Krath, one of the infamous HOUNDS OF WINTER…

SESSION 30

Caster is amidships on Silent Destiny, with Niknik Kuat standing between him and the cockpit. J16 is further aft. Zeva has disappeared into one of the crew quarters.

“You’ve got it all wrong, Novastar. There’s a bounty on this ship, and her Captain. Well, the Captain we took her from. You’re just the way to the bonus.”
“Isn’t that right?” he calls over Caster’s shoulder.
A flush echoes through the hall as the fresher door slides open and the big, scarred ugly face of Marius Krath emerges, followed by the rest of him. “That’s exactly right,” he says with a toothy grin.

Caster:
“How am I in the way of that bounty on the thief that took this ship, exactly? Because, I’m not exactly a friend of hers.”

GM:
(vs a -1) J16 rolls Out of Sight, Out of Mind (succeed with style, 2 free invokes)
Krath grins. “Play grav-ball with me here, and I won’t have to show you.”

R4-J16:
(of course now I can’t remember what I wanted j16 TO DO once he was sneaky away. we’re anti-calling the port authority, right? Is Caster “wanted” by anyone? Would that be a helpful distraction?)

Caster:
“So I’m dealing with a rich playboy gestures at Nik-Nik and a punk who’s watched too many merc recruitment adds gestures at Krath. I guess I’ve got nothing better to do before I kick you off my ship. What’s your angle?”

R4-J16:
J16 attempts to find an out of the way access point to get into the ship’s systems and, firstly, ground it

GM:
The droid is able to engage safety interlocks to keep the engines from firing up without his code key.
(An aspect on the ship: Vainglory Grounded)

GM:
(vs Clever +3)
Krath seems unfazed by the dig. “It’s like this, Mister Novastar. You want your ship back, and I want something that’s on the other ship. I believe we can come to an arrangement, here.”
(J16 gets a Clever +3)

Caster:
“The only things on that other ship are wrenches and grease. They don’t even have a mop. Trust me, I looked for one. But, I’m sure someone smarter than you has you thinking otherwise. What do you want?”

GM:
Krath seems a little thrown by the direction this conversation is taking.
He wags a finger at Caster. “Clever. I thought so.”
Krath: “What I’ve been told is that the ship’s previous captain left something on board, something they only called ‘the Eye of Oblivion.’ My job is to find that for our client. Everything else is just in my way.”

Caster:
“You’re kidding me, right? No one has named anything the ‘Eye of Oblivion’. How many holo-vids have you watched? What year do you think it is?”
“What do you really want?”

R4-J16:
J16, still at the globe, tries to connect to the port databases to see if NikNik or Krath are wanted by anyone, and, if so, if he can tell them where they are /right now/
(clever 3 +2 = 5)

GM:
“Believe me or don’t, I want to get onto Silent Destiny. I get the impression that you don’t have any loyalty to Captain Varn or her gang of misfits, so as far as I’m concerned, you help me, you can take your ship and be on your merry.”
Niknik: “That isn’t what we agreed to!”
Krath silences him with another icy glare.
J16 confirms what Black Sun’s database said: that the Hounds are not part of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild (since they bring their quarry in dead as often as alive), and that they’ve actually had recent conflict with them.
In particular, IG-88 wants to bring Marius Krath down for poaching his bounty on Mygeeto.

Caster:
“Niknik, you’re a bit out of your league here, although I assume that’s pretty normal for you. I need to pay attention to blaster-butt here because he might sit wrong and put a hole in my ship.”

GM:
(Meanwhile, Kes and Bella are boarding a transport bound for this side of the planet which belongs to the same delivery company, thanks to the driver girl’s help)
Krath nods. “Pipe down, Niknik. Grown ups are talkin.”

GM:
Krath: (turning back to Caster) “So. Whaddaya say?”

Caster:
“I know you’ve got a tight schedule in-between body waxing or whatever you merc types do, so I apologize for needing a bit more info. What does this ‘Oblivion-whatcha-callit’ look like?”

GM:
Still unfazed: “It’s hidden in a holograph projector. One that the previous Captain gave the current one after the last vacation they took together.”

Caster:
“Got a picture of the projector? I don’t want to walk away with the wrong one.”

R4-J16:
J16 slides cautiously back out to check out the rest of the ship/look for Zeva

GM:
Krath shakes his head. “Nothin’ that detailed, no. I just know the image was captured in front of a waterfall.”
About this time Zeva emerges from the crew quarters, looking like hell warmed over.

R4-J16:
“*quiet warning beep*

Caster:
“Fair, fair. See, here’s the thing… I really just want you off my ship.” tries to dart between Niknik and Krath and make a break for the cockpit

GM:
Caster slips around the bazillionaire and charges up the corridor!
When he gets there, he finds a human pilot, wearing a Hounds of Winter uniform, already in his chair.

Caster:
(out of turn order) “Oh, hi.”

R4-J16:
J16 quickly tries to get back up to the fiasco to back up Caster (quick +1, rolled +3 =4)
(Quick arrival to taze NikNik with electric prod and get him out of commission)

GM:
Niknik turns to see the droid and catches the prod at waist height (Forceful 0)
Leaving him Frazzled and bestressed
Krath: “Fine. We do it the hard way.” He produces Weapons and Tools for all the Fools and burns Niknik Kuat down, leaving his path to the cockpit unimpeded.

GM:
The pilot turns in his chair, points a blaster at Caster, and fires over his shoulder
(+2 to attack)
“Poork,” Krath calls into his comlink, “get out here now.”

GM:
The bolt flies wild over Caster’s shoulder.
Krath stops at the intersection, though, when he sees the white-haired girl come around the bend. “The seamstress,” he muses. “Still haven’t figured out your angle, but you’d best go back in that closet if you know what’s good for you.”
Zeva’s lightsaber flares into brilliant life. “I will KILLYOU if you touch him,” she growls.
(ran out of Fate points fighting the Ubese, compelled: Shadow of Order 66)

GM:
Krath’s surprise gives way to anticipation. “Haven’t fought a Jedi in a LONG time, girl. But that won’t be the first lightsaber I’ve taken.”
Zeva makes the Bruce Lee ‘bring it’ motion.

GM:
Zeva creates an advantage: I Am Not Afraid with a free invoke

GM:
New exchange: as Caster steps up to bat, a massive shadow eclipses the cockpit as Silent Destiny appears in the sky above you.

Kaylani:
Attempts a super-flashy-tricky landing right next to the Vainglory (+4)

GM:
(We have: Krath, J16, Zeva, Porrk?, Pilot, Caster)

Caster:glances up, grins, snaps out his hold out blaster “Sorry, just not your year. Get out of my chair please.”
(rolled a +1, quick +2 = +3, trying to add aspect, “Look Ma, a hostage!”)

GM:
“Hey, a contract’s a contract.” But he’s shaken (aspect placed, 1 free invoke)
Krath drops one pistol, holsters another, and arms himself with a riot control baton before lunging at Zeva
(Quick +4 vs Zeva’s +4, spending the one Fate point she just earned)
But now Zeva’s brought him into striking distance
(Forceful +3 vs his +4) But his technique suggests he really HAS defended himself against lightsabers before.

R4-J16:
J16 attempts to grab Krath’s dropped pistol and use it against him (clever +3 roll +1 = +4)

GM:
(vs 4) Krath’s armor is stronger than it looks, but J16 gains a boost
The door to the fresher behind J16 opens, and the flabby bulk of a Gamorrean in Hounds of Winter garb trundles into view. He swings a very large hydrospanner at the droid
(6 attack) It clangs against his dome, leaving him Dented

R4-J16:
fails to quickly dodge (quick +1, roll +2=3)

GM:
The pilot fires at Caster again (+1)

Caster:Caster ducks (rolled +3, quick +2 = +5)

GM:
(Caster gains a boost)

Caster:sighs “Give it a rest.” fishes in pocket for a cred-stick “Look, I’m gonna need someone to pilot this thing when we’re done here, how about I buy out your contract right now, and you also help me a little bit in this minor dust-up.”
(rolled +0, careful +3 using ‘Everything has a Price’ stunt +2, invoking ‘Look Ma, A Hostage’ +2 = +7, trying to flip loyalties.)

GM:
Caster is barely to the end of the sentence before the man stands up and snatches the cred-stick. “Deal,” he announces.

Caster:
“We get into less firefights. You’ll love it.”

GM:
The pilot charges down the corridor firing at Krath, bellowing.
Krath is definitely more surprised than harmed (+2 vs +5). “Jaren, you little TWERP,,” he hisses, still locked with Zeva.

GM:
Zeva tries to make the most of even this tiny distraction.
(Forceful +6 vs Quick +2) The lightsaber catches him on the shoulder, taking two stress and leaving him with Another Future Scar (mild consequence)
“All right, enough o’ this,” Krath grumbles, pressing the button on his handheld control box that initiates Vainglory’s self-destruct.